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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28600245">per her request</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/toast4ghosts/pseuds/toast4ghosts'>toast4ghosts</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ghost in the Shell (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2045, Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG, Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Headcannons Galore, Section 9, if I have to suffer so do you</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:41:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,318</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28600245</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/toast4ghosts/pseuds/toast4ghosts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ishikawa tells the squad the story of how he and the Major met back in their army days together.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Batou/Kusanagi Motoko, Kusanagi Motoko/Ishikawa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>per her request</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The beginning references the 2nd Gig episode "Poker Face," and the whole thing was heavily inspired by this image: www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/446976.  Takes place at an undetermined time in 2045.  The rest, I don't know.  I have head canons and its time to inflict them upon the world.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After a week of long hours and not much progress on the case at hand, Saturday night found the members of Japan’s Public Security Section 9 crammed into a tiny dining room at a nearby restaurant, where the assembled team had put a considerable dent in the restaurant’s stock of beer and sake. The prosthetic users had all turned their respective alcohol processors off, and the conversation had taken a turn toward the bad old days, as it often did on such evenings.</p><p>Pazu made a comment about how the Major had taken 25 years of his life, which prompted Togusa, the newest member of the team (in relative terms) to inquire about how exactly the team had met up, prior to the creation of Section 9.</p><p>“I know Ishikawa and Batou have known the Major the longest, but what about you guys?” asked Togusa.</p><p>When Borma tried to respond, Saito cut him off.  “Sorry, but none of you have a better story about how you met the Major than I do,” said Saito.</p><p>“Yeah, mine’s boring as hell compared to yours. The only thing I can says is, 26 years later, and you still owe me for a new uniform,” laughed Batou.</p><p>“What the hell are you talking about?” Saito asked, with a spark of anger in his voice.</p><p>“After the Major captured you, you bled all over me when she ordered me to carry you back to base camp, you were bleeding like a stuck pig.” Batou answered, the grin on his face adding to the insult.</p><p>“She stabbed me in the hand and shot my damn eye out, of course I was! I passed out from blood loss after you dangled me upside down over your shoulder and bounced me all the way back to camp, and I owe you for a new uniform? Get bent!” Saito yelled, as he leapt up.</p><p>“Get over it, you were still the enemy then.” Batou growled as he also stood, knocking empty beer cans off the table as he went.</p><p>“You enjoyed torturing me, you dick!” Saito yelled back.</p><p>“Shut up, both of you!” The Major ordered firmly, and both Saito and Batou sat back down, still glaring at each other.</p><p>Pazu and Borma raised their brows at each other and grinned, while Ishikawa watched bemused.  Togusa, who had never heard this particular story before, had a look of mixed astonishment and confusion on his face.  Facial expressions aside, the squad all shared the same instinct to focus on their drinks as the heated moment passed.</p><p>“Actually, I don’t know how the Major and Ishikawa met. Maybe his story is better.” said Saito at last, after draining his sake cup.</p><p>“Now that you mention it, none of us do,” said Batou.</p><p>“Not even you Batou? Huh.” Pazu’s usually passive face bore a passing look of surprise to hear that.</p><p>The Major and Ishikawa exchange a glance.</p><p>“Nah, it’s probably just as boring as me and Batou.” said Borma.</p><p>“So, are you gonna tell us, Ishikawa, or is it some kind of secret?” asked Pazu.</p><p>“Per her request, records from that era are sealed.” Ishikawa replied sarcastically, as he quickly finished his beer.</p><p>“What the hell does that mean?” asked Saito.</p><p>“Batou, do you have any idea what he’s talking about?” asked Togusa.</p><p>“Nope, all I know is that Ishikawa was already part of her platoon before I got reassigned.” Batou answered.</p><p>“That’s because she wants it that way.” Ishikawa commented cryptically as he opened another can.</p><p>“What’s that supposed to mean?”  Batou asked, his question clearly directed at the Major this time.</p><p>“You might as well just tell them.  They’re not gonna let it go now that you told them it’s a secret.” The Major, who had remained mostly silent until now, replied in a low voice.  By her count, the beer she had just finished brought her up to match Batou’s total, which was actually quite an achievement.</p><p>Ishikawa took a deep breath, leaned his head back and closed his eyes, and let the breath out slowly.</p><p>“Are you sure you’re okay with me telling this story? It’s not going to make Batou jealous, is it?” he asked at last, a hint of a smirk on his face.</p><p>That elicited some confused looks among the team members.</p><p>“Nah, it’s ancient history.  He’ll get over it.” Kusanagi responded.</p><p>“Get over it? What the hell happened that you don’t want me to know about?” asked Batou, an edge to his voice.</p><p>“I think you meant ‘us,’ Batou.” said Saito, still a bit testy. “And shut up and let him tell it.”</p><p>“Okay, kids, gather around and I shall tell you a tale…” Ishikawa started.</p><p>“You have had <em>way</em> too much to drink,” commented Borma.</p><p>“Yeah, probably.” Ishikawa agreed jovially, as he took another drink.  “So, we actually got assigned to the same platoon a full year before Batou got rotated in.”</p><p>Ishikawa stopped and asked himself, “What year was that? Christ, what was it… 2018?”</p><p>“Sounds right to me.” answered the Major.  “I was 20 and cocky, and had yet to be taken down peg, and on a team of men all at least 15 years older than me.”</p><p>Ishikawa gave snort of agreement, and continued, “She was good, as you can probably guess, and it pissed off most of the guys on the squad.  There they were, a bunch of professional soldiers, and here’s this rookie, who also has the audacity to be a girl, who keeps showing them up on every mission.”</p><p>“And of course, you weren’t one of them.” supplied Togusa.</p><p>“No, I was damn impressed right from the start.  But she kept to herself mostly, and I’ve always done the same, so it was a few weeks before we actually talked.” said Ishikawa.</p><p>“So, your story is pretty damn boring too.” commented Saito.</p><p>“You want to let me finish?” Ishikawa fired back.  “So anyway, we were still in South America, and for the first few weeks, we had been tasked with clearing out insurgent cells from some of the smaller outlying cities.  One day, we get to this office building with a pretty high-tech security system, and it was obvious as we approached that it had been converted into some sort of barracks for the insurgents.”</p><p>He paused briefly to have another swig of his beer and continued, “Of course, you know who goes charging in with the intent of taking down the security system on her own.  She almost had it, but there were some pretty nasty attack barriers in that thing. Lucky for her I was monitoring her from my terminal, otherwise she would have gotten fried.”</p><p>The squad remained silent for a moment, so the Major supplied the next portion. “There was one particularly nasty barrier with a viral maze that I couldn’t hack, and Ishikawa took it down in about three seconds. If he hadn’t been watching me, that would have been the end of the story right there.”</p><p>“So that’s the big secret? You saved her life?” asked Saito.</p><p>“Ah, almost. Just keep it shut or I’m not gonna tell you the rest.”  When Saito didn’t respond, Ishikawa said, “Good. So. Security system neutralized, we moved in and cleared out the two dozen or so insurgents, scored some almost worthwhile intelligence, called it a day, and headed back to base camp.” He paused. “Maybe you can fill in the next bit,” he said, as he nodded toward the Major.</p><p>“Okay.” The Major answered, a bit reluctantly.  “Yeah, well, having been successfully taken down a peg, I went back to my tent and sulked for a bit before I decided to go ask the quiet tech guy who had just saved my ass to teach me some tricks. The rest of the squad was sitting around the firepit talking about the day’s mission, and Ishikawa was off to the side by himself. So, I just walked right up to him and asked-“</p><p>“Demanded.” Ishikawa interjected.</p><p>She glared at him, and amended her statement. “Demanded, ‘Teach me how you did that.’”</p><p>“I was pretty damn sure she wasn’t gonna take no for an answer, so we went back to my tent and started running through some of the barriers I had designed, and as you would expect she mastered all my tricks within just a few hours.”  He took a long pause and contemplated his beer for a minute before he looked over at the Major.</p><p>“Are you sure you want me to keep going?” he asked Kusanagi, the reluctance obvious in his tone.</p><p>“Might as well. It’s almost over anyway.” She replied, the with the vaguest hint of amusement at Ishikawa’s discomfort.  “You were the one who opened the door to this.”</p><p>“True. You gonna stop Batou from punching me?” Ishikawa responded.</p><p>“He won’t. Just get it over with.” she pressed, while at the same time, Batou turned to Togusa and asked quietly, "Why would I punch him?"</p><p>“Right. I don’t know about that,” said Ishikawa warily, as he eyed Batou.  “So, after I told her I didn’t have any more tricks to share, I pulled a bottle of whisky out from under the bed and offered her a drink.”</p><p>“Uh oh.” chimed in Pazu, with a knowing ring to his voice.</p><p>Ishikawa and the Major both gave Pazu a remarkably blank look before Ishikawa continued. “We sat there on my shitty cot and drank in pretty much total silence for about an hour before I realized she was glaring at me with this oddly determined look on her face.  Before I knew it, she was kissing me.  And I have to tell you, I did not see that coming.”</p><p>Knowing him the way they did, the longtime team members seemed almost skeptical about this revelation from their oldest squad mate, and there was little reaction among them.  Togusa, however, was wide-eyed in shock.</p><p>Even the Major was surprised by Batou’s lack of reaction. She commented, “Well, you did teach me an important lesson that day about caution and teamwork and whatever.”</p><p>“Yeah, I don’t know about that. But, I figured, ‘What the hell. What’s the worst that could happen?’” Ishikawa shrugged.</p><p>“You’d have to tell this story 27 years later?” quipped Saito.</p><p>“Shut it.” snapped Ishikawa.</p><p>“Anyway, before I knew it, she was on top of me and…” Ishikawa’s voice trailed off as he decided not to press his luck.</p><p>“You can fill in the details for yourself what happened next.” Ishikawa added.</p><p>“Or don’t.” the Major responded quickly.  She looked at Batou as she said it, and she was certain that if his eyes weren’t prosthetic, they would have been wide in astonishment.  “That’s definitely better than angry,” she thought.</p><p>“See, I told you he wasn’t gonna hit you,” Kusanagi pointed out, with a grin at Ishikawa.</p><p>“When we woke up the next morning, somehow both of us still crammed on the damn cot, she looked at me with this sleepy grin, and said ‘No offence, but I think we should probably just be friends. You are way too old for me.’”</p><p>This got a round of laughs from the team.</p><p>“And I said, ‘You’re definitely right. You are way too young for me, what are you 19?’” Ishikawa laughed.</p><p>“’I’m 20,’ she says, indignantly.  And I said back, ‘Yeah, if you still have to defend your age, you’re too young.’  Christ, you didn’t even come close to meeting the half-your-age-plus-seven rule.  I should have known better, but you caught me by surprise.”  Ishikawa shook his head as he spoke.</p><p>“How old were you, old man?” Togusa asked.</p><p>“I guess I would have been 38 then. So, yeah, way too old.  But I think it all worked out for the best.  I mean, 27 years later and things never got weird.  And, to tell you the truth, I don’t actually remember what happened that night all that well myself, if that makes you feel any better, Batou.”  Ishikawa finished at last, with a final nod in Batou’s direction.</p><p>“Why was that pointed at me?” asked Batou, the edge creeping back into his voice.</p><p>That got another round of laughter from the squad.</p><p>“Batou, give it up. Really?” commented Saito.</p><p>“It’s not like it’s a secret.”  said Borma.</p><p>“Do I need to pull up the satellite feed again?  Motokoooo…” Ishikawa laughed again.</p><p>“NO, don’t.” the Major ordered.  Togusa shook his head in disbelief that so little had changed while the team had been out of the country.</p><p>“Anyway, it couldn’t have been that good on that tiny little bed.” Ishikawa commented himself, which got another round of laughs.  Most of the squad turned to the team leader for confirmation of this fact, but the Major’s face gave nothing away.</p><p>“Well, you definitely win this round, I never saw that one coming.” said Saito.</p><p> </p><p>* * * * * *</p><p> </p><p>Later that evening, after the alcohol processors had been turned back on and the Section 9 members were going their separate ways, Batou caught up to the Major outside in the parking lot.</p><p>“Hey, Motoko, was that story true?” asked Batou, as they walked toward their cars, and after they were out of earshot of the rest of the squad.</p><p>“Don’t worry, Batou, the night you and I spent together is the only one is still fantasize about,” the Major answered with a wink.</p><p>She got in her car and shut the door, as Batou looked on in surprise.  Rather than drive away, though, she put down the window and got Batou’s attention.</p><p>“Want to come back to my hotel for one last drink?” the Major asked with a smile. It took a minute for the cyborg to realize she wasn’t teasing him, and he hurried to jump in the passenger seat.</p><p>As they drove away, Ishikawa shook his head in amusement.  “Called it,” he said with a smirk to the remaining team members, and waved goodnight.</p>
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